Sophie was pacing the length and breath of the hospital while losing her damn mind. Elmira had been wheeled in a little more than an hour ago and she had still heard nothing from the doctors. Sophie could have sworn that she didn't care about the woman and maybe she still didn't but that moment, she felt all her fears laid out to her.Elmira was going to die just like her mother had.Her heart broke just at the thought and she gripped her clothes tightly. It was all she could do not to lose it and break down on the floors of the hospital. After having called her father even though the last thing she wanted was to have anything to do with him, she had phoned Tyler. Just to put him at ease because he had texted her.She really wished he was there with her now for he would wrap her large safe hands around her and bring her home with him. For he would make her stop pacing and calm her racing shattering heart. For he would make her feel at peace as Mira said.And Oh God, Mira.The poor wom
It had been a day since Mira had her baby. Sophie didn't know if she needed to visit her again at the hospital or just let things go and avoid her family completely. She had tried not think about it since she came back home with Tyler.But it had been harder than she imagined.Deciding that she needed a distraction, Sophie grabbed her phone and placed a call to her best friend. She wasn't sure what time it was at Paris which was where Nick and Joyce had gone on their honeymoon.Sophie had wanted to give her best friend enough time and space to enjoy her honeymoon with her husband, thus, she had avoided calling her or even so much as texting. She would be really guilty if she ended up disturbing them for even a second but that moment, she needed a distraction.She picked up her laptop instead and connected it to Skype after shooting series of texts to Joyce. Joyce didn't respond to any of them and Sophie was starting to get really convinced that she was intruding on a blissful honeymoo
“Bye, guys!” Sophie waved at Quinton who was seated behind the wheel, against her friends protest. Even though Harper's eyes were glaring daggers into her at the moment, Sophie was sure that in a few seconds, she would feel nothing but gratitude for having her out of the car.They had dropped her off at the hospital, the same one Mira was admitted. Sophie clutched the bouquet of daisies she had gotten at the flower shop Harper had driven her to on their way back. Sucking in a deep breath, she turned around and walked into the hospital.Sophie ignored all formalities and went straight to the ward through the elevators to meet Mira. Over the ride to the hospital, while she had been stupidly quiet to give her friend and the guy she is into the small privacy they deserved, she had mulled over the words she would say to Mira when she saw her.Although, Sophie had yelled at the woman, she hadn't exactly regretted the words she said. And if she hadn't felt heavily guity, she wouldn't have t
It must have taken only a few seconds for everything to sink in for Sophie.She wasn't sure what had done it for her. Maybe it was the happy gleam in her father's green orbs or it was the smirk on Giovanni's face as he groped her ass, running his dirty hands over her body. Or probably, most likely the man standing at the far end of the hallway, his blue eyes suddenly icy as they stared at her.But she did.Sophie pushed at him with all the strengths she could muster and without wasting for a second more, she landed a very dirty loud slap on his face.“You bastard,” she growled, her eyed stinking and welling with tears. She couldn't believe that he had done that. Yes, she had known how lowly he thought of women and females in general but to think that he would just sweep in and kiss her like she was his toy or something made her blood boil.“You stupid, egoistic asshole,” she continued, her chest rising and falling as she fought deeply to suppress her tears. But Giovanni was angry too
Tyler couldn't imagine what his face would have looked like when he received the text from Alannah, telling her that Manuel and his brother Andy had reached out to her. Sure, he had asked her to reach him when she needed anything that Alicia and Tristan couldn't help with but he didn't imagine that it would come so soon.He had been with Sophie, reading together since had been trying to take her mind to everything that was bothering her. Although Sophie hadn't outrightly told him that what had happened at the hospital still bothered her, he knew it did. He knew it bothered her as much as it bothered him.How could her father be so cruel? How could any father stand there and watch their daughter get assaulted by a man they wanted her to get married to. It didn't make any sense to Tyler and it would never make any sense to him. It bothered him more than he let on and he was so determined to get to the root of everything.He wanted to know what was hidden in the shadows that would promp
Tyler tried too late not to act surprised at the sight of his half-brothers. He hadn't seen them in a long time, at least, he hadn't seen Manuel in a long time since he almost ran their fathers company through bankruptcy. Andy, he had seen over the past few months in passing when he had given him the opportunity to gloat as long as he wanted.Tyler looked away from Manuel, whose lips were upturned in a lousy smirk that was meant to send a message. When he looked at Gabriel, the latter sent him a short nod that was unnoticed by the duo hovering over him.“Well,” Gabriel cleared his throat since he had been the one to tell them to meet up at the bar. “Have your seat, boys.” He grinned in their direction while Tyler snickered at the condescending word.Shooting Gabriel a glare, Manuel stalked over to the empty seats to occupy them while his brother did the same. They settled down together at the same space and for a few minutes, a strained silence of glares and mild cusses was their case
Tyler had gotten enough time in the past to think about what meeting her would be like. He had sat down months ago, wailing in pain while he thought about the whole situation he had dragged himself into. Nobody had pulled him to her but his stupid heart and Tyler had known that he had no one to blame for it.Tyler had been fine with never seeing her again. Never ever seeing her again but here she was, a grim smile on her face while she stared at him. She wasn't exactly ecstatic to see him so he wondered why she was truly here and how she had found him.He didn't need anyone to tell him that his half-brothers har pulled this off and his jaw jutted out at the realization. It was sickening that they would do this to him again. Yes, Tyler had known he would see her one day but he had never ever thought that it would be now. Not before Sophie and certainly not now.She hadn't changed since the last time he had seen her, which was right after she had dropped the big bomb of betrayal on him
She grabbed her nail polish and ran it over her toe nails again and again for the umpteenth time that afternoon. It felt like ages since they came back from Joyce's wedding. Sophie had not tried going to any public event since then even though she had been invited to a ton of them.She had refused to post anything on her social media too, setting her accounts to private after so long of doing everything for the public. Her life was simple now. She didn't see herself going back to the lifestyle she once had before all of these.The Sophie she knew before would have attended tons of parties and night clubs just to be seen in the public again. But now, it didn't seem like a good idea. Especially not when everyone had a thing or two to say about her life choices in regards to what had gone wrong in her father's company.She was over it, at least she tried to be over it.Picking up her tab that was beside her with her dried finger, she checked the time and gasped dramatically. Willow had c
Tyler was nervous. He had been since he saw her in that beautiful dress at the hospital. He had known it was her opening night at the gallery and even though she wouldn't want him there, Tyler had gone anyway. He was proud of her. He was proud of everything she had done and became with or without him.But he needed her now and more than ever.He wanted her now more than ever and he was going to get her.She had looked seemingly unaffected by his presence at the hospital the night before but he knew it had touched her as he had touched him too. He hoped she would wear that dress she wore for her gallery opening. He also wished that she wouldn't. He wished she would smile at him when she arrived but Tyler was close to losing his mind. It was an hour after the arranged time yet she wasn't here. He had refrained from texting her so as not to appear too pathetic. He wanted her but he also had to play his cards right.When his phone buzzed in his pocket, Tyler took it out to answer the cal
Kristen folded her arms against her chest as she stared at Sophie. She wasn't complaining about having her in her house but Sophie could be exhausting. Especially in moments when she was this stubborn. And she was done, she couldn't deal with this attitude of hers anymore.“Do you need me to call Willow because I will. Oh, I know. Joyce would get here quicker than Willow would.” She tsked, eyeing the woman in pajamas lying on the floor of the living room to Netflix and chill.“You wouldn't dare,” Sophie barely glanced away from the screen of the TV as she grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl in front of her and poured them into her mouth. She munched cheerfully like she didn't have a worry in the world.When in fact, she did. She had a lot running through her mind but she would never say it.It was only a day after the opening of her art gallery. A day after she met Tyler at the hospital. A day after Harper's birth to Baby Ivan. It was the date night Tyler had scheduled for her
Sophie didn't get a breathing space that night as she wandered about, talking to her guests and the families of her featured artists. She had almost let herself go into worry about Harper but Joyce had handed her a glass of non alcoholic wine that had put her at ease.So, with a glass in hand, Sophie had wandered around in her gallery and attended to guests. The number of people that had turned up were more than she had expected but she was glad that she had enough resources to handle them. She had just finished selling off a beautiful glass piece to a man when Joyce pulled her aside for a break."Heard anything from them yet?” she whispered as Joyce pulled her away from the scene to a corner.“Not yet,” Joyce whispered back with a hiss. She was equally very worried but that wasn't what she wanted to talk about.“Okay, so what's going on?” Sophie asked when she saw the look on her face.“I just saw Jasper and Olivia.” Joyce confessed trying to look past her friend's shoulders toward t
It had been exactly two weeks since the whole episode with her father. With the help of her friends, Sophie had gotten back on tracks with her dream art gallery. She had channeled all her emotions into setting up the perfect gallery she wanted.In two weeks, she had set up the podium and given the place the taste it deserved. Countless times, Joyce and the rest of the girls had dropped by to help her set up. And when she wasn't setting up, Sophie would lay down on the floors of the place and imagine what her future would be filled with.In everything she had pictured, there had been Tyler. It has been more than a while. Since the day she had ordered him out of her hospital room, she hadn't heard back from him. Although she felt extremely bad for treating him that way, she'd been hurting too. She hadn't wanted to see him. Now, she didn't know.She missed him. She missed everything about him but that wasn't the topic for the day. It was her gallery's opening night. Her friends had he
When Sophie got the call from Willow asking her to come to the police station the morning after the day she was released from the hospital, her mind had conjured up different thoughts that she didn't think were appropriate. Willow had sounded calm yet very worried. Like she was very close to killing someone off which had made her extremely worried.Kristen had driven her to the police station because she hadn't been strong enough to drive. Although she had been properly taken care of in the hospital, her wound hadn't completely healed off and her body still sometimes ached her. She still couldn't believe that someone had almost succeeded in killing her.The thought still paralyzed her whenever she thought if it. What if the bullet had gone straight to her heart? What would have become of her? So many if's and possibilities always left her paralyzed.“You are going to be fine,” Kristen had told her repeatedly before she walked into the police station. Everyone around her seemed to know
"Congratulations, Tyler.” Willow shook his hand when they stepped out from the court. His smile was wide, big yet very much incomplete. This had been his dream for the past few years; To put Manuel and Andy away for good.It had been simple yet very difficult.But Willow had made it happen. She had gathered all the obvious evidence she could find and made him set up a meeting with Adelaide on the guise of getting her to confess to what she had done alongside Manuel and Andy. His half-brothers were very smart and intelligent but one thing they all had in common was their pride at their winnings which always led them to gloat and talk about everything they weren't supposed to.All it had taken were a few bottles of drinks to get them put behind bars. Now, he had custody of the little girl he was starting to call his.“No, Willow. You made it happen,” he smiled genuinely at her and she smiled back with ease. Willow was a beast when she was in court and that much was apparent. She had pu
Joyce pushed past the crowd in front of her when she sighted Harper and Willow waiting ahead. She had almost lost her mind when she had gotten the call from Harper telling her that Sophie had been involved in an accident. Joyce had thought that Sophie had refused to pick her calls or answer any of her texts because she was trying to give them space.She knew Sophie and she wouldn't put that past her.But the call from Harper had almost destabilized her. Already, she and Nick were already planning on returning back to LA after being in New York for close to a month now but Harper's call had sped up the whole process.“Slow down, baby.” She heard Nick say behind her. She knew that if it wasn't for the bags he was juggling, he would have rushed toward her. Joyce finally got to where her friends were standing and without any warning of some sort, she plunged them into a hug. Well, that was if Harper's large baby bump allowed her to hug her properly.“Joyce,” Harper pouted as she struggle
Tyler hummed as he flipped the pancake on the pan. It was late into the afternoon yet he hadn't had anything to eat all day having been busy. Taking Adelaide and his half brothers down had been a lot harder than he thought and everything was messin with him more than he thought it would.He barely had any time for himself to breathe and do all the things he needed to do. As if that wasn't enough, Tyler had had to deal with Giovanni when he went to the office the other day for an official meeting. The beast of a man had barged until his office without knocking to talk to him, being all rude to everyone around.Tyler hadn't been surprised when he saw him. He knew that it was only a matter of time before Giovanni De Luca figured out who he was. He had played enough and to him, he thought that he had taken more than enough time to figure him out.Too slow.“Well, this is late,” he'd said when he walked in, leaning back into his chair as he gazed up at the man. “Let me guess, somebody tipp
When Sophie opened her eyes, everything seemed fuzzy and out of focus. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision, but everything remained hazy and indistinct. Slowly, she became aware of a dull ache in her head, and she realized that she must have hit her head during the accident. She tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washed over her and she slumped back down onto the bed. Everything was a blur, both literally and figuratively. As she struggled to regain her senses, the memories of the accident began to come back to her in flashes. She remembered the screech of the tires, the sickening crunch of metal, and the blinding pain that had followed. It was all a blur, but slowly the details were starting to come into focus. She tried to sit up again, this time with more success. She took a deep breath and looked around, trying to get her bearings. Where was she?It wasn't until she finally registered the antiseptic smell that came with hospitals and the white walls that